Not so much the right , as the only decision. Graeme Swann's is the only argument I've heard against it. He said that he should be allowed to develop into the best ever England batsman free of the captaincy. But that wouldn't exactly have been risk-free. No matter how many times he was told it was to preserve his batting, he would have taken it as a slight on his ability, and it would have played on his confidence-especially when his rivals and contemporaries like Kohli and Smith had adapted to captaincy while improving their batting. I think Stokes as vice-captain over Broad is a good decision.

shrewsbury saddler wrote:Not so much the right , as the only decision. Graeme Swann's is the only argument I've heard against it. He said that he should be allowed to develop into the best ever England batsman free of the captaincy. But that wouldn't exactly have been risk-free. No matter how many times he was told it was to preserve his batting, he would have taken it as a slight on his ability, and it would have played on his confidence-especially when his rivals and contemporaries like Kohli and Smith had adapted to captaincy while improving their batting. I think Stokes as vice-captain over Broad is a good decision.

No brainer as a decision with Root and probably the right vice choice in Stokes, though there was an arguement for YJB I think. We may go to war with another country though if Stokes has an extended run as captain. Someone in the Grauniad comments pointed out that they expect him to become the most popular brit in India since Jade Goody during the IPL.

With all the money in the IPL, I can see test cricket dying a slow death , and county cricket even more so.

Test cricket is still massive. The only think that might change would be moving to four days rather than five. We have the day/night Tests starting now too with one already held in Australia with a pink ball. We have the first day/night Test in England at Edgbaston on August 17th which I have tickets for and against the West Indies.

I also think Test cricket gas a way to go yet. There were good crowds in Pune for the Australia test-even if a fair few were schoolchildren.It would have made a nice change to see India pasted in their back yard had the opponents been anyone other than Australia.